American Bureau of Shipping The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) gradually transforming its organisation through the use of electronic tools and international databases. It is aiming to decentralise the organisation as far as possible, linking surveyors in 92 countries of the world together through computer networks. The computer system is gradually being changed from a mainframe computer system to server networks, with a central Oracle database. Surveyors around the world can retrieve the information they need, complete surveys and put the reports in the database, so they can be accessed by the owner of the equipment. ABS is improving the way it responds to e-mails sent from the website. E-mails sent from the website are broadcast immediately to several different people at a department in ABS, ensuring that responses can be provided quickly. SUBHEAD Type Approval.org A recent addition was a search tree for type approval information, at http://www.typeapproval.org/, for accessing information about products which have been type approved by ABS. The database is searchable in various different ways, including by company name, lists of Marine and Coastguard Agency approvals, Marine Equipment Directive Approvals, product design assessments, service providers to manufacturers. It was developed together with the Universtity of Michigan (www.nsnet.com), the National Industrial Information Infrastructure Protocols (www.niiip.org) and ABS' own marketing and IT teams. The plan is that the system will eventually be greatly expanded, to integrate with several design packages, giving information about the component design. The system has been designd to work with other search engines and planned changes to ABS' rule structure. The service integrates products under design assessment; once a type approval certificate has been issued, it can be printed direct from the website. A designer or manufacturer can put together a portfolio of ABS approved products, planning to take them into production at a later date. If products have been type approved, the certificate can be printed out directly from the website. This service has proven very popular with product marketing representatives; they can use this to provide their clients with proof of the approval. Clients can go directly to the ABS website to retrieve the certificate; this removes any doubt about the authenticity of the certificate, and also saves the manufacturer from having to distribute the certificates to customers. "The real beauty of this web site is that it is a living document that changes on the hour," says Robert Vienneau, manager of programs with ABS. "This ability for immediate change allows us to keep a client's details current." The system is proving very helpful in explaining to companies what they need to do to sell products worldwide, proving that they have all the necessary documentation. SUBHEAD Electronic container information system ABS has an electronic container information system at http://www.eagle.org/prodserv/cis/index.html, which provides details about intermodal tank container inspections. Tank containers around the world can obtain quick access to their own inspection reports. The service is provided free of charge to tanker container owners and operators, who all gain free access to their own information; The system provides historical tracking data, enabling users to peruse previous survey data, enabling them to put together an up to date picture of their fleet. The system will shortly be extended to allow surveys put together in the field to be input directly onto the website. Mr Vienneau says that the service has proven most useful in releasing containers from ports around the world; the tank container can be held up until the owner can provide the relevant documentation. The documents can be found much more quickly if they are available on ABS' website.